Shotgun shell and tracer unit



Jan. 23, 1945. N. DE P. KNIGHT SHOT-GUN SHELL AND TRACER UNIT Filed Sept. 15, 1941 2 Mewlazzd DePlfi Patented Jan. 23, 1945 UNlTED STATES rATENT OFFICE.

SHOTGUN SHELL AND TRACER UNIT Newland De P. Knight, Mobile, Ala. Application September 15, 1941, Serial No. 410,931

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shot gun shells, more particularly to an improved tracer shell.

It has been proposed heretofore, to utilize tracer bullets in the load of a shot gun cartridge. The suggestions proposed in the past involve the use of a flight marking shot, coated with a tracer compound either admixed with the main charge of shot or distributed through the powder charge in the base of the shell. Such early suggestions, intheir nature, necessitated the construction of a special type of shell available only for tracer purposes. Since the shell involved a special construction to the extent of the incorporation in the casing during manufacture, it involved some change or modification in the assembling procedure.

As a result of considerable experimentation it seen hereinafter, that utilizing this concept, shot gun shells of standard construction and design may be employed and that the association of the tracer pellets does not in any way modify the construction of the main shell. In light of this fact the improved unit of the invention may constitute a separate article of manufacture to be applied, at the option of the user, to a standard shot gun shell or, if and when desired, the new unit may be assembled with the shot gun shell during the course of manufacture.

The novel features of the invention, its utilization and general applicability will more readily be seen from a consideration of a typical structure such as that shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a shot gun shell in which the novel unit of the present invention is assembled.

The invention relates to comprise the metal cap or base, I, provided, in the usual manner, with the primer 2 and associated with th cylindrical case 3. As is known, the base is constructed of a suitable, workable metal such as brass and the tube 3 may be of the typical paper stock generally employed. The base I is provided with the base wad 4 which in conjunction with the undershot wad 5 retains the propellent powder charge 6. The cartridge is provided in the usual manner with the retaining wads l and 8, and the foremost driving wad 9.

The projectile load which comprising the metal pellets I0 is confined between the wad 9 and the overshot l2, which latter is formed of cardboard or any other suitable material. The overshot wad is held in its retaining position by means of the terminal crimp or inturned flange 13.

In accordance with the invention such a structure, i. e., a type shot gun shell (of whatever character) may optionally and quickly be converted into a tracer shot gun shell bythe application of the novel unit A. As is shown in Fig. 1, and particularly in Fig. 2, this unit comprises, a circular piece of cardboard or other suitable ma.- terial 20. The diameter of this unit is so chosen as to be inserted readily within the confines of the crimp l3. To the upper surface of this carry-- ing wad 20, is adhered the tracer pellets 2 I. These are composed of lead or other metallic pellets coated with a suitable tracer compound of such character as to be ignited by frictional heats developed as the pellets are forced through the air, such as the well-known phosphorus base compounds employed for this purpose. The pellets may be prepared by coating with the tracer composition 2l', the depth and chemical content of the composition of which may be varied and controlled so as to insure ignition or burning through any desired distance.

In making up the unit A, the coated pellets 2| are attached to the upper surface of the wad 2!) by any suitable adhesive indicated in Fig. 2 by the adhesive layer 22. The under side of the Wad 20,

,an inspection of Fig. 1, that the attachable wad 20 is so designed that when assembled in a cartridge the whole unit lies below the plane of the top of the crimp so that it does not add-to the overall length of the shell. Being thus nested within the terminal crimp it is protected during shipment and use.

It will be appreciated that the tracer pellets 2| may be bonded to the wad 20 by a variety of methods other than that described; for example the pellets may be enclosed in a moisture proof unit such as a Cellophane package of suitable conformation and the package may be adhered to the wad.

It will be observed that the assembly described may be carried out directly at the factory with suitable automatic equipment or the preformed wad 20 with coated pellets 2| attached may be manufactured and sold as a separate unit to be applied by the user at his volition. By thus applying the unit A, a standard shot gun shell can simply and quickly be converted into a tracer shell and utilized for the manifold purposes inherent in a tracer shell such as; checking the pattern or flight of the projectile, improvement of aim, trap shooting and the like. It is apparent that the unit is available for either military or sports use.

It has been found that the-unit is as effective as it is simple. In operation the tracer pellets 2| are quickly detached from the wad upon firing of the shell and to every practical extent become a corporate part of the main projectile charge I0.

Actual experimentation has proye'n that the tracer units partake of the shell. The ease with which the tracer pellets are liberated from their temporary bond to the wad 20 so as to be projected in the line of flight can be more readily appreciated from a consideration of Fig. 4. When the primer is struck and the powder charge ignited the wads and projectile are propelled outwardly of the cartridge. In this action the terminal end or crimp l3 as it is pushed forward tends to expand inwardly against the wad 20, which is caused to flex or buckle as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 4. This buckling tends to break the existing adhesion or. bond between the pellets 2| and the cardboard Wad 2G. In these circumstances the tracer pellets 2| are individually detached and become units of the entire projectile charge Ill.

With the concept as above explained in mind, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible of a wide range of modification in the structure of the attachable wad 20. The detachment of the coated tracer pellets 2| may be accelerated .by forming the wad 20 in the manner shown in Fig. 3. As is there shown the wad 20 may be scarified or out along the lines 30 was to increase the ease with which the Wad 20 buckles or flexes under the pressure of the expansion due to firing of the shell.

As will be understood the Wad 20 may be made up with pellets of any desired size or number as limited by size of gaug and may be coated with any suitable tracer composition. If desired, the preformed unit may be constructed so as to be applied to the shell in a position reverse to that shown in the drawing by applying a light adhesive strip over the upper surfaces of the pellets 2 I. When this strip is adh red to the wad I 2 the wad 20 then overlies the pellets in the assembled positions.

Since the pellets 2! are subjected to high temperatures in the barrel of the gun various kinds of tracer compositions may utilize such suitable mixtures of magnesium powder and oxygen supplying material such as barium peroxide, barium nitrate and the like.

Desirable color effects in the tracer composition may be secured by utilizing varying quantities of such material as barium or strontium nitrates. When such magnesium-containing compositions are employed preferably they are given present invention, as indicated, may be applied to the shell during the course of manufacture at the factory or the units may be made up and sold as separate articles of manufacture for application to standard shells by the user. Obviously units may be made up with wads 20 of different diameters corresponding to shells of different standard gauges.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described it is to be understood that this is given didactically to illustrate the underlying principles involved and not as the exclusive physical embodiment of which the invention is susceptible.

I claim:

1. A shot shell having a metallic base with a primer therein, a cylindrical casing attached to the base, a propellent charge in the base, a projectile charge in the casing, means to separate the propellent charge from the projectile charge, such means comprising a series of driving wads, an overshot wad associated with the end of the casing and adapted to retain the projectile charge in the casing and tracer projectiles attached to the exterior surface of the overshot wad.

2. A tracer unit adapted for association with the overshot disc of a shot gun shell comprising a circular wad having tracer pellets adhered to one surface thereof and means associated with the wad to adhesively attach it to the exterior surface of the overshot disc of a shot gun shell.

3. A tracer unit adapted for association with a shot gun shell comprising a circular Wad having tracer pellets adhered to one surface thereof by means of a readily disruptable bonding material and means associated with the Wad to attach it to the overshot disc of a shot gun shell.

4. A tracer unit adapted for association with a shot gun shell comprising a circular wad having tracer pellets adhered to one surface thereof by means of a readily disruptable bonding material andmeans associated with the Wad to attach it to the overshot disc of a shot gun shell, such that the tracer pellets lie below the plane of the end of the shell.

5. A tracer unit adapted for optional association with the overshot disc of a shot gun shell comprising a disc of cellulosic material having adhered to one surface a plurality of tracer pellets.

6. A tracer unit adapted for association with the overshot disc of a shot gun shell comprising a disc of cellulosic material having adhered to one surface a plurality of pellets coated with a; tracer composition said disc having an adhesive material on the opposite surface.

7. A tracer unit adapted for association with the overshot disc of a shot gun shell comprising a disc of cellulosic material having adhered on NEWLAND DE P. KNIGHT. 

